I know about your legal rights but I am fairly sure that the timing belt is something that would be expected to wear down and I thought it was every 40-60k miles (although you are under that mileage to be fair).

I take it you have had the car from new? Has the belt snapping caused any other damage? I have heard that belts cost around £90 plus fitting obviously.

I do not have mechanical knowledge so someone else can advise on that but on a 6 year old car, I can imagine it being very difficult indeed to force a repair under the Sale of Goods Act.

We should also remember that the police in their capacity as an emanation of the state, are under a duty to protect peoples right to life under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This right is absolute and is not subject to certain exceptions unlike Article 8 for example.

This means that in a serious RTC, the police should attend and where necessary draft in paramedics and the fire service. The family could in theory bring a claim that the police have breached the deceased's human rights by failing to attend.

The state is under an obligation under the article to protect life by way of effective policing and a criminal justice system. The state can take a life through say armed police if that force is no more than absolutely necessary to protect the lives of others.

In Osman v UK the UK courts had decided that the police were immune from a negligence claim after the family argued the police had failed to act which led to some of the family being shot and wounded and/or killed. This immunity stemmed from Hill v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire. The European Court of Human Rights decided after careful consideration that although the police were under a duty to protect lives under Art 2, it had not been breached. The immunity granted did however breach Art 6 (right to a fair trial/hearing).

Indeed, the shooting of that chap by police at the tube station in London following the bombings went before the court and the family argued that the state via the police had breached his right to life as he was not a terrorist despite legging it from the police. The court held that there was no breach because the police were acting under tremendously stressful and difficult circumstances and the actions of the deceased gave rise to reasonable suspicion that he was indeed a terrorist and could be about to set off a bomb. The shooting of him was deemed absolutely necessary to protect others even though hindsight proved he wasn't a terrorist.

I spotted this by chance whilst browsing autotrader today. If you ever see this, the dealer will most likely try to wriggle out of any claims under SOGA by claiming you purchased as a trader. Utter rubbish which will not hold water of course, thanks to SOGA itself, the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and the case law I mentioned in the consumer tip topic.

I emailed them (not letting on I know anything) and asked them what would happen if I purchased a car that went wrong. They haven't bothered to reply yet and assuming they don't, that speaks volumes in itself.

To be fair, it is only right for me to say that the Corsa was wrong for making the assumption all would be well and going for it. I guess the Fiat's dodgy late indication and movement offers mitigating circumstances.

Just focussing solely on the lorry and removing the Corsa from the equation altogether, I believe that if the Fiat had indicated and moved over sooner as per the photographs, the lorry would not have presented such an obstacle. The Fiat would then be where that silver Saab was at the beginning of the video and due to taking a wider line than sticking to the insider of the roundabout, would also have arrived at the turn off a fraction later than it did in the video.

This might help. The first 2 photos show the front and rear views from where the majority of people indicate and begin to move over from the right hand lane. It was clear for the Fiat to do just that.

The second 2 photos show the front and rear views from where the Fiat started to move. You can see the proximity to the lanes we were moving out from and although the Corsa should have been more alert to late indication, I honestly think it is more than reasonable to assume that a car in the right hand lane at that point will continue around and not move over.

In any case, if I find myself in the position of the Corsa, I will be on the lookout for this kind of thing.

Last summer, I went on a coach tour of parts of western USA which was FANTASTIC! (Archers holidays). The tour guide was brilliant, the hotels were good to fabulous and we made some new friends along the way. Memories to savour and a holiday that will struggle to be topped.